The Potter, the clay, the fire :)

There will always be a test. God almost always tests us with something that is very special to us or important in our lives. Let's take a brief look at three men of God and how they each handled the test in their life.

Job

Job was a godly man. The Bible says he was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. Job had seven sons and three daughters, seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels and five hundred asses, and a very great household of servants. He was the greatest of all the men of the east at that time. Yet in one day, in one moment of time, he lost all he had. Job went through a major testing process.

His best friends, who claimed they were trying to comfort him, only blamed him and criticized him. They told him he must have sinned in order for God to punish him like that. His own wife failed to support him in his darkest hours. Yet he never gave up on God. He never blamed God. He never quit on God and when his testing was finished God gave him a double portion of everything he had lost.
The book of Job was written to show how the righteous suffer, not how sinners suffer. It is a "type" of the Tribulation period. It shows us how frail we are without God's hedge of protection around us. It is meant to strengthen our faith. What people fail to realize is that even though God allowed Satan to afflict Job, God was still in charge and had total control over Satan. If you are a Christian, and you are in a period of testing, God is still in control of the situation. Don't ever forget that. You are not going through that trial alone. God is only a "prayer" away.

David

• David was a great shepherd.

He killed both a lion and a bear with only his hands. (See 1 Samuel 17:34-37)

• David was a great fighter.

He killed the giant Goliath. (See 1 Samuel 17:45-50)

• David was a great king.

He was loved by the nation of Israel. (See 1 Samuel 18:16)

• David was a great musician.

His music soothed the soul of Saul. (See 1 Samuel 16:23)
He was a designer of instruments. (See 1 Chronicles 23:5)

• David was both a humble and an honorable person.

He had the chance to kill Saul twice, as revenge for Saul trying to kill him, but he didn't. (See 1 Samuel 24:1-12; 1 Samuel 26)

WAIT! David was also a great sinner. He committed two sins that in Old Testament times were deserving of the death penalty. Yet God forgave him because David was also a great repenter.
David's test came in the form of lust over Bathsheba which lead to adultery. Make no mistake about it, he failed the test but he got right with God. He didn't let his sin destroy him or his relationship with God. When accused of his sin David confessed and God forgave him. (2 Samuel 12:7 and 13 - And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.).

I have always found this verse interesting because it makes 1 John 1:9 so real. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." David confessed and as soon as the words were out of his mouth he was assured of God's forgiveness.
David had to pay the penalty for his sins, just like we do, but God did bless him and use him and he is part of the Messianic line.

Peter

Peter went through one of the greatest tests of all. Of the twelve disciples Peter was one of the three men that was closest to the Lord. He was rough and unpolished in his manner and often put his foot in his mouth when speaking but he had a big heart and loved Jesus very much. His test came when Jesus was arrested. He was even told ahead of time what his test would be. He knew in his heart that he could pass it. How could he deny the Lord? But when the test came he failed it. He denied His Lord three times.

Like David, Peter was sorrowful, and he wept bitterly and repented. And God forgave him. Peter went from being a rough fisherman to one of the greatest fishers of men in the Bible. Peter didn't give in to his failure. He got right with the Lord and God used him. There is a great passage in the Bible that tells us this.

(Acts 9:32-35) And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.
Not a "few," not even many, but ALL that saw him, turned to the Lord. What a testimony. What a witness. What a blessing from God. Would that have happened if Peter hadn't gotten right with the Lord? No, of course not.

Job stayed right. David and Peter got right. There are many more examples in the Bible of people who failed the test and God didn't use them anymore or He didn't use them in the way that he originally intended. (Saul lost his kingdom because he took his eyes off the Lord, Moses couldn't enter the Promised Land because of disobedience.) There are many examples of men that passed the test, some after going through tough times, and God used them greatly. (Joseph went to jail rather than commit adultery and he became a great ruler and a saviour of his people, Paul murdered Stephen but was the greatest apostle the world ever knew, the three Hebrew children survived the fiery furnace because they would not compromise and worship idols.)

Spiritual application: Everyone will be tested by fire. Some make it and some don't. Even the most spiritual looking on the outside can be flawed on the inside. It is a matter of the heart. If the heart is not right with God then the Christian will surely crack under God's firing process. I mean, He's the Potter, me, the clay. Clay is tested in fire, is it? I have seen it over and over again with many Christians who say they want to serve the Lord with all their heart no matter what happens. Yet when they were subjected to the fire they cracked and exploded and became useless for God's service.

What are you going to do? What will your test be? Will you succeed or fail? If you fail, will you stay defeated or will you humble yourself and get right and rise again to be used of God? The choice is yours.
Don't be a casualty. Don't be a statistic. Settle it in your heart today.

AMEN! I am blessed.